E3 2007: 'Blocks' Eyes-on

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Steven Spielberg and EA's gaming collaboration finally unveiled.

By Patrick Kolan

It's been on the cards since initial discussions in 2005 and was further honed at E3 in 2006 when Spielberg picked up the Wii remote for the first time. Finally, EA and Steven Spielberg have come out of the shadows with a game very tentatively titled 'Blocks' - a reinvention of a very simple childhood game with a physics and motion-controlled twist.

The best comparison to what we witnessed in the demo was initially a simple blend of Jenga and Tetris Blast with a dash of preschool block-stacking. It's not super-complex stuff, but we also saw the foundation of what could be a very addictive puzzler experience.

Using a stack of up to 20 different types of blocks, players use the remote to launch a variety of objects (such as bowling balls) at specific blocks in order to knock them all down. Each block affects any other that it comes into contact with, adding to the strategy. To make things interesting, you have limits on how many balls you can toss, and each block has different physical properties. Some detonate on impact, causing massive chain reactions. Others simply vanish, leaving a gap in the structure and affecting other blocks around the space.

Steven Spielberg's influence is felt much more heavily in the game's presentation - levels are very simplistic and stylish, with a Yoshi's Story pencil, crayon and cardboard approach to the characters. Cube-like cows graze in paper fields, and are charmingly innocent and mindless. It's not clear exactly how these levels and characters, of which there are more than 20, actually work in the game. We're thinking they're key parts of each set of theme-levels (such as the Wild West and Haunted House themes), but we're waiting for more information on that front.

The game is also set to offer full co-operative play, as well as split-screen play, which should please social gamers. Also tempting is the level-editor, allowing you to make massive levels and puzzles that can be exchanged with friends - again, presumably using friend codes - but the details have not yet been unveiled.

It's not quite the mind-blowing epic we're eager for - that is on the way - but it might be enough to please casual puzzle fans with a penchant for creativity and building. Stay tuned for more info as the game heads towards release.